Grief
by NightFury326
Summary: As the time for Snoggletog nears, Hiccup becomes overwhelmed with the stresses of chiefing the village, and his thoughts haunt him with memories of the day they lost Stoick.
1. Chapter 1

Hiccup

This is Berk, where the Vikings are as tough as the hard rock this town is built on. The winters here are long and full of snow. The days can be darker then a moonless night, and colder then a bewilderbeast's breath.

I gazed at the snow covered village. Berk was calm this morning. The brisk morning air nipped at my fingers.

"Are ya ready bud?" I grinned at Toothless beside me.

The wind blew in my face, as we rushed up toward the clouds, the island shrinking from view as we flew farther away. I took a deep breath, basking in the freedom of flight. I didn't have to worry over the stresses of running Berk, for once. I let the thoughts float away for a while. We flew through the endless formations of clouds, as the sun rose over the archipelago.

"I guess we better head back." I said.

Toothless shook his head.

I set Toothless and myself down near Dad's memorial. Toothless cooed against me, sensing my stress.

"I know bud, we all miss him."

I stretched out, and yawned out the rest of the tiredness.

"I guess we better get started." I took a deep breath in, only to be met with an unexpected fit of coughs.

Toothless gazed at me, concerned in his eyes.

"Oh, come on-I'll be fine. Let's go bud"


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N- I'm sorry that this chapter took a while to get up. I had this mostly pre-written but I was editing for flow issues more than anything else)**

Hiccup

I made my way into the now bustling Great Hall. The warmth was welcome after an early morning flight on Toothless.

After I ate breakfast, it was time to hear the Berkian's problems of the day. This particular day, it felt like it went on for hours.

I felt a headache beginning to take hold, as Sven went on about his problem.

"My sheep escaped again! That's the third time this week!"

"I know Sven, I'm going to have Astrid and Fishlegs take care of it." I held my head, taking in a much needed breath.

The day wore on as I went to the dragon arena. Toothless, was attempting to calm a skittish Fanghook- who still never listened to anyone but Gustav.

"Fanghook, what is wrong with you?" Gustav lamented."This isn't like you!"

Stormfly was trying to help Toothless, as the purple Monstrous Nightmare flew around, gawking at any dragon or human's attempt to calm him.

"Fanghook! What are you doing? Come back!" Gustav ran around, trying to make his dragon listen.

"Gustav, didn't I tell you to keep Fanghook out of the armory?"

"Yes, I know, but, he just started acting this way this morning."

"Did you see if it was the ?"

"Maybe he needs a trip to Fireworm Island. It helped Hookfang." Snotlout said.

"I don't know." Gustav said, "He's been acting this way since this morning."

I held my head, as the aching and pounding seemed to get worse. "Gustav…"

"I'm sorry, okay." He snapped, "I can't help it my dragon's out of control!"

"Maybe he met some other dragon? Just saying." Snotlout said.

"I don't know." The teen said.

"Hey ,look, why don't you and me take care of this- ok?" Snotlout said to Gustav.

"Yeah." The two managed to get Fanghook under control.

I sat against the wall, looking for a minute's rest in the day.

"Hiccup, are you feeling okay?" Astrid asked. "You seem really out of it." She stood in front of me, her eyes as mesmerizing as ever.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I lied.

"You don't look it. What's wrong?"

"I don't know." A coughing fit came on after I spoke.

"Have you seen Gothi about that cough?"

"No,"'I coughed again. "I'll be alright. I have to, the village depends on me."

"Hiccup, your father even had help sometimes. You have a lot on your plate."

I held my head in my hands, as she braided a side of my hair.

"Hiccup, please, take a break." She gently brushed some hair out of my face.

"I feel like when I'm not there, I'm letting down the whole village."

"What about Spitelout?" Astrid paused. "He's done it before."

"True."

"Hiccup, please, get some rest." She pleaded.

"You sound like my mom." I smiled, attempting a small laugh.

We sat against the stone wall of the academy. I took a deep breath, happy to be off my feet for once.

"Hiccup, please- take some time out for yourself." She begged.

"I can't, Berk needs me." I coughed.

"You can't do much if you're sick."

"It's just a cough, it should go away after a few days."

"Take it easy." She leaned in, kissing me on the cheek.

"Hey bud." Toothless licked my face. Concern in his eyes. "I hope you had a better day than me."

I let my mind not think about anything for once, or at least I tried to.

I sat there, silent, next to Toothless, just resting.

I walked past the few crowds in the great hall crowded amongst a few tables. Exhausted, I sat in dad's old chair one. I folded my arms on the table and fell asleep, letting the crowd noise drift away.

"Hey, are you alright?" Spitelout's voice rang through my mind's fog.

"What?" I slowly opened my eyes, rubbing the tiredness out of them.

"You okay?"

I sat up. Everything looked blurry.

"Taking on too much responsibility at once," he said.

I barely noticed anyone else around me.

"Hiccup." Why don't you just go home?" Fishlegs suggested, "You don't look too good."

"I think you're right." I was desperate for the day to end. I got up and left the Great Hall,


	3. Chapter 3

Hiccup

Toothless was asleep on his stone. I lay in bed, thankful for the day to end, but I dreaded being alone with my thoughts. My cough didn't seem to take a break either.

"Hiccup, are you feeling okay?" My mom walked in.

"I don't know." I coughed again, "Dad didn't even stop for a cold."

She checked my forehead, "Why don't you go see Gothi?" She placed a cup of warm tea on the night table.

"But I have soo much to do." I pleaded.

"Couldn't you rest?"

"But I have to help with the decorations and the other stuff in the village."

"Hiccup, you're going to make yourself sicker," she said, concerned.

"If Dad didn't stop for eel pox- then I'm not going to stop just for this cold."

"I don't need you getting ill for Snoggletog."

"Sometimes I feel like my mind never stops rushing.. You'd think some terrible terrors were constantly running around in my head." I sighed. "I don't want you to worry."

"I have to, it's bad enough I wasn't here to see you grow up." She kissed my forehead.

"I'll be fine."

"Get some sleep." She said.

"Good night."

"Good night."

I lay in bed and stared at the ceiling for gods know how long. What if Drago did return? What if he took over Berk? What if the worst thing ever happened? My mind went in circles, until I finally managed to fall asleep.

* * *

 _"_ _The Dragons are mine now! All of Berk is mine!" Drago declared, standing upon his bewilderbeast._

 _I ran outside, finding the all of Berk's dragons circling the bewilderbeast._

 _Toothless struggled trying to shut out the Bewilderbeast's hypnotic commands._

 _"_ _No, Toothless! Stay with me bud."_

 _Toothless tried to focus on me, but nothing could stop it._

 _The bewilderbeast blew ice onto the Dragon stables, and I was soon surrounded by ice._

 _I was alone, the cold ice surrounding me making the night time colder._

 _"_ _Toothless," I tried to get through to him, as gentle as possible. "Toothless, shut him out, I know you can do it bud."_

 _His pupils dilated and retracted, as he fought hard to not let the bewilderbeast take control of him._

 _"_ _Toothless, it's ok bud, I'm right here." I looked into his eyes. He was losing the strength to shut the mind control out. "Toothless, no.." I whispered, "no."_

 _"_ _Hiccup!" My mom was alone, watching from further away, incapable of stopping the fight._

 _"_ _Toothless, No!" he blasted, now fully under the bewilderbeast's control._

 _I saw my mom race up beside my limp, singed body._

 _"_ _No, Hiccup." She cried, her head against my unmoving chest._

 _Toothless was out of the bewilderbeast's control. He roared loudly, and blasted at the bewilderbeast. The other dragons were taken out of their trances, as the bewilderbeast was defeated again._

 _Berk was obliterated, covered in ice. Drago rode away, satisfied to see his enemy dead in his mother's arms._

I awoke, sweating. Toothless lay fast asleep nearby. I sat up. The dream felt all too real to me.

"Toothless.." I whispered, as a cough escaped my lips. I moaned, as the cold, or whatever illness this was, made itself known.

I had to go outside and check, for my own sanity, that my own nightmare hadn't really happened. I walked down the stairs, as quietly as I could, and opened the door. The ground was covered in a fresh coat of snow, the cloudy sky reflecting the partial moon.

"Thank Thor." I sighed in relief, coughing as I swallowed.

Toothless had woken up, found me in the doorway, and nuzzled my hand.

"I'm alright bud, just another nightmare." I knelt down to his level and hugged his neck.

I closed the door and made my way up the stairs. My mind still shaken by the nightmare.

I stared at the ceiling. Thoughts about what could've been, and what if something else had happened instead filled my mind. I sat up on my bed, unable to get comfortable enough to sleep.


End file.
